Out of Africa
African Harambee7537 N. Clark | 773-764-2200
$Moroccan, Mediterranean | Dinner: seven days.Open late: Friday & Saturday till midnight | byo
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Don’t assume the big colorful balls of yam, cassava, and maize served at Bolat are just simple sides on a par with dinner rolls or mashed potatoes. Rather, amala (ground yam, purple and glutinous), fufu (beaten yam or cassava, white and firm), and kenkey (fermented maize) are integral to Ghanaian and Nigerian meals. Big as softballs, these doughy dumplings are to be ripped, shaped into small scoops, and used as eating utensils whose absorbency is a major consideration with many stews and soups served here. We had egusi stew, clumps of ground watermelon seed in tomato-spinach sauce, and ewedo soup, goat in whipped jute leaves, herbaceous and gooey. My partner had spicy fish and jollof rice with a deep smokiness that comes from letting the rice burn just enough. Feeling adventurous, we also sampled a small bowl of cow skin, kind of a combo of fat and gristle with minimal taste, though—like much we had here—new to our palates and so worth a bite. Palm wine, served in gourds, is salty, sour, and surprisingly complementary to saucy main courses. —David Hammond
Couscous1445 W. Taylor | 312-226-2408
Moroccan | Dinner: monday-saturday | closed sunday
Demera4801 N. Broadway | 773-334-8787
